August 21, 2013

[h2]Scholarships and Funding: Applications and factors to consider[/h2]

Usually students apply for scholarships and financial aid either because they cannot afford to pay the entire school fee or because they are receiving free education from well-reputed universities (or from the University of their Choice). There are some factors that a university considers when looking at your application for a scholarship or financial aid. Though the two may seem to the same thing, they aren’t. The former is something that students get on the basis of academic merit while financial aid is given by the college to people who cannot afford to study or are in need of some financial relief and the factors considered as more or less the same as those that are taken into account when it comes to deciding whether or not to give a student a scholarship.

First of all, your transcripts and references would be taken into account. You need to decide whether or not you’ll be applying for scholarships in advance so that you can get credible references from your teachers or from someone you may have interned for. The university will look at your potential. If you are someone who seems promising and worth admitting it is likely that you would get a scholarship/financial relief.

The university will also consider how “needy” you are of funding. They will check your taxes, bills, parents’ and your bank account and they would dig deep into your financial accounts to judge how badly you actually need to be funded. If you seem like someone who would do well but needs some help to further his/her education, chances are you would be given financial aid. You need to show the universities that you are worth their money and that if you were given some relief, you would be able to perform well. If you think you could do that, the chances of you getting funding would be increased. You’d have to stay on your toes all the time to show the college that you are consistent and focused.

You need to market yourself via your application. Show the school that you have skills that they could benefit from- many students who don’t have great academic scores manage to get into the college of their choice because of the fact that they are good at debating or at a sport and this adds to the college’s reputation.